Cherokee's IM Fusion 25 Lagoon Update 1/26

[cherokee2871]

Well here it is. I built the stand myself is what took so long. Finally got it done and painted and the tank mounted and in its spot. I love this tank it looks great. Can't wait to get this thing wet and join the rest of the great Lagoons on here. This is what I have for equipment.

* 2 AI Prime HD's on flex mounts
* Sicce 1.0 return pump
* 2 Nano Spin Streams
* 2 In-Tank media racks
* IM Desktop Skimmer
* IM Desktop Reactor
* Smart ATO Micro
* Trigger Systems 10 gal ATO container
* Eotech MP10ES
* Finnex 100w digital touch heater
* BRS 6 Stage RODI
* Tropic Eden Reef Flakes mini-flakes
* Aquaforest Probiotic Reef Salt
* Reef-Cleaner reef dry rock
* Milwaukee Digital Refractometer

[cherokee2871]

Got my RODI system set up filling up the container.

[Proudgeek]

Great so far! Following.

[reefhound]

Great so far! Following.

 

ditto

[Bowen1022]

Love the stand! Looking awesome!

[cherokee2871]

Leak test done. RODI tank is full. Should have sand and rock in the tank shortly. Have to find some tubing for return pumps not long enough to reach the pumps. Bowen are you still running media pure and if I remember correctly that you were how much and where.

[Vwcrackerjack]

Looks super professional! Where did you get that container for the Rodi water?

[cherokee2871]

Looks super professional! Where did you get that container for the Rodi water?

 

http://www.plastic-mart.com/product/8579/20-gallon-plastic-water-tank

 

here you go

[Vwcrackerjack]

Sweet! Thanks. I'm looking to do a similar setup when I move. How do you run the Rodi? Does it need a pump or just hookup directly to water supply? I've never used one myself however its becoming a pia to go to lfs all the time to get water

[cherokee2871]

Sweet! Thanks. I'm looking to do a similar setup when I move. How do you run the Rodi? Does it need a pump or just hookup directly to water supply? I've never used one myself however its becoming a pia to go to lfs all the time to get water

 

It hooks up directly to the water supply in many different ways. I have a tankless water heater with a spigot on it which worked out great.

Best investment I made for the tank.

[burtbollinger]

looks cool. Is 2 primes overkill? Asking, not being snarky or anything.

[Bowen1022]

Leak test done. RODI tank is full. Should have sand and rock in the tank shortly. Have to find some tubing for return pumps not long enough to reach the pumps. Bowen are you still running media pure and if I remember correctly that you were how much and where.

 

I run marine pure in the return chamber in media bags. I have about 15 of the spheres in there if I remember correctly.

looks cool. Is 2 primes overkill? Asking, not being snarky or anything.

 

1 Prime doesnt quite cover the dimensions of this tank. The average spread for one is about 18" and this tank is 24" wide. One would probably work just fine but he is probably playing safe.

[cherokee2871]

looks cool. Is 2 primes overkill? Asking, not being snarky or anything.

One might work but probably not with SPS. I'm planning on doing a mixed lps, sps tank so I was worried one wouldnt be enough. Same with the pump. I took the stock pump out and I'm running two Sicce 1.0 at half power to start with nano spin streams on both returns with a MP10 in the back left side for flow. I went with the tropic eden mini reef flakes which shouldn't blow around with all the flow. We will see.

[cherokee2871]

We've got water and rock. Tell me what y'all think.

 

 

[kimberbee]

Looks nice!!

[pewpewkittah]

I love it! Scapes with rocks that break the water surface are really interesting to look at

[JLynn]

Very interesting aquascape! Maybe not the most practical for corals, though. What kind of corals are you going to stock the tank with?

[Proudgeek]

Very nice!

[cherokee2871]

Very interesting aquascape! Maybe not the most practical for corals, though. What kind of corals are you going to stock the tank with?

I was planning on doing a mixed tank with both lps and sps. I'm curios as I'm relatively new to saltwater how it might not work. I don't want to do something that will keep me from developing a great tank so any help would be appreciated. I got the tower inspiration from Shawn (4x5) African shallow reef tank. He was able to keep sps and lps is why I went with this. It was a very beautiful tank with an interesting aquascape and was able to keep both. Is there something I'm missing or doing wrong?

[cherokee2871]

My water was perfectly clear last night after putting water in the tank. Rinsed both rocks and sand in RODI water until all cloudiness was gone. Was perfectly clear all night with mp10 and everything running. Woke up today and it is very cloudy in the tank. I put some activated carbon in a pantyhose and running it passively. Anyone help me out. Why is it cloudy?

 

[JLynn]

I was planning on doing a mixed tank with both lps and sps. I'm curios as I'm relatively new to saltwater how it might not work. I don't want to do something that will keep me from developing a great tank so any help would be appreciated. I got the tower inspiration from Shawn (4x5) African shallow reef tank. He was able to keep sps and lps is why I went with this. It was a very beautiful tank with an interesting aquascape and was able to keep both. Is there something I'm missing or doing wrong?

Oh no! It's nothing you're doing wrong, it's just probably not the most practical aquascape for growing corals (although it certainly is one of the most beautiful.)

 

To be more the specific: the fact that 2/3 of your aquascape is these two pillars of rock means that you have more limited real estate for putting corals. It also limits your options for what corals you put on the vertical parts of the rockwork; to avoid shading as the corals grow and the tank matures, you need to limit yourself to putting encrusting corals at the top - branching or tabling corals will, as they grow, block the light from getting to anything below them. So encrusting montiporas, cyphastrea, leptoseris, and the like would be the best choices for the top of the rockwork. Acans or blastomussa would probably also work well, and you may not be planning on using any but zoanthids are definitely an option.

 

So using encrusting corals avoids the problem of shading, but it also may present a different challenge, in that the encrusting corals, due to the steep slope of the pillars, won't receive as much light as they would if the rocks were horizontal. It's the same reason why the earth is warmer at the equator. It might not be a problem; you do have 2 AI primes, so they may receive enough light regardless. And even if it is a problem, you could get some PAR 38s and mount them at an angle to provide extra light to those corals. (It wouldn't be as pretty as your current set up, though.)

 

That being said, if you like this aquascape, there's nothing wrong with it, it just presents a couple unique challenges that you need to keep in mind as you stock the tank.

[cherokee2871]

Thanks JLynn really appreciate the help and the compliment on the aquascape. Now that you mention it, it does create a unique challenge for coral arrangement and selection. If done properly though it might turn out really unique. Thank You.

[Bowen1022]

I think its just a bacterial bloom if you added any type of cycling bacteria.

[cherokee2871]

Nope haven't gotten my AF Bio S yet. I just rinsed the dry rock in RODI I didn't cure them maybe it's the saltwater breaking down the dry rock is the only think of, but I don't know.

[JLynn]

Thanks JLynn really appreciate the help and the compliment on the aquascape. Now that you mention it, it does create a unique challenge for coral arrangement and selection. If done properly though it might turn out really unique. Thank You.

No problem! I look forward to seeing how you handle that challenge!